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The kingdom come.

Matt. xvi.

THIS petition, or devout wish, being fubordinate to the former, as expreffing a main particular of that, which is there generally desired, (we here to the glory of God defiring a fuccessful and speedy propagation of true religion,) feems, in its direct and immediate sense, to respect the state of things in that time, more especially befitting our Lord's difciples then, when the kingdom of God (that is, the ftate of religion under the evangelical dispensation) was coming and approaching; (according to that of our Saviour in St. Luke; I say unto you of a truth, there be fome Luke ix. 27. of you ftanding here that shall not tafte death, till they fee 28. iii. 2. the kingdom of God;) whence it did become them in zeal to God's glory, and charity for men's falvation, to defire that Christianity might foon effectually be propagated over the world, being generally entertained by men with due faith and obedience; that is, that all men willingly might acknowledge God as their Lord and Maker, worshipping and ferving him in truth; that they might receive his bleffed Son Jefus Chrift as their King and Saviour, heartily embracing his doctrine, and humbly submitting to his laws: to which purpose our Lord enjoins his difciples to pray, that the Lord of the harvest would Mat. ix. 38. fend labourers into his harvest; and St. Paul exhorts the Theffalonians to pray, that the word of the Lord may run 2 Theff. iii. and be glorified. And in parity of reason, upon the fame grounds, we are concerned, and obliged to defire, that Chriftian religion may be fettled and confirmed; may grow and be increased; may profper and flourish in the world; that God's authority may, to the largest extenfion of place, to the highest intention of degree, univerfally and perfectly, be maintained and promoted, both in external profeffion and real effect; the minds of all men being fubdued to the obedience of faith; and avowing the subjection due to him; and truly yielding obedience to all his most just and holy laws. Thus fhould we pray that God's kingdom may come; particularly defiring that it may fo come into our own hearts; humbly imploring

21.

Rom. xiv.

his grace, that he thereby would rule in our hearts, quelling in them all exorbitant paffions and vicious defires, protecting them from all spiritual enemies, difpofing them to an entire subjection to his will, and a willing Luke xvii. compliance with all his commandments: a for this is the kingdom of God, which, as our Lord telleth us, is within the which doth not, as St. Paul teacheth us, confist in meat and drink, (in any outward formal performances,) but in righteoufnefs, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghoft; that is, in obedience to God's will, and in the comfortable Mat. vi. 33. confequences thereof: this is the kingdom of God, which we are enjoined, before any worldly accommodations, first to feek.

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us;

Thy Will be done in Earth, as it is in Heaven.

THIS fentence is likewife complicated of praise, good defire, and petition; for we thereby first do acknowledge the wisdom, justice, and goodness of God in all refolutions of his will and difpenfations of his providence.

1. We profefs our approbation of all God's counfels, our complacence and fatisfaction in all his proceedings, our cheerful fubmiffion and confent to all his pleasure; joining our fuffrage, and faying in harmony with that Rev. xv. 3. bleffed choir in the Revelation, Great and wonderful are

thy works, O Lord God Almighty; juft and true are thy ways, O thou King of Saints. We disclaim our own judgments and conceits, we renounce our own defires and defigns, fo far as they appear inconfiftent with the determinations of God's wisdom, or discordant with his pleasure; Luke xxii. faying after our Lord, Let not my will, but thine be done. 2. We do alfo exprefs our defire, that as in heaven all things with a free and undisturbed courfe do pafs according to God's will and good-liking, every intimation of his pleasure finding there a most entire and ready compliance Pf. ciii. 20. from thofe perfectly loyal and pious fpirits, (thofe minifiers

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Τυραννούμενοι ὑπὸ τῶν τοῦ σώματος παθημάτων, καὶ μυρίας πειρασμῶν δεχό μενοι προσβολὰς τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ χρήζομεν βασιλείας, ἵνα μὴ βασιλεύσῃ ἡ ἁμαρτία ἐν τῷ θνητῷ σώματι ἡμῶν, &c. Chryf.

of his, that do his pleasure, as the Pfalmift calls them,) fo that here on earth the gracious defigns of God may be accomplished without oppofition or rub; that none should prefume, as the Pharifees and Lawyers are faid to do, Luke vii, ådeteïv Thν Beλny To Oe, to difappoint or defeat God's 30. counfel; άлwida, to thrust away or repulfe God's word,

as the Jews did in the Acts; to refift, provoke, or defy Acts xiii.46. God by obftinate difobedience, as many are faid to do in the Scriptures; but that every where a free, humble, hearty, and full obedience be rendered to his commands.

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3. We do alfo pray, that God would grant us the grace

willingly to perform whatever he requires of us, (perfecting Heb. xiii. us, as the Apostle fpeaketh, in every good work to do his 21. will, and working in us that which is well-pleafing in his fight,) contentedly to bear whatever he layeth upon us; that God would beftow upon us a perfect refignation of Phil, iv. 11. our wills unto his will; a cheerful acquiefcence in that ftate and station wherein he hath placed us; a fubmifs patience in all adverfities, whereinto he difpofeth us to fall; a conftant readinefs with fatisfaction and thankfulness (without reluctancy or repining) to receive whatever cometh from his will, whether grateful or distasteful to our present sense; acknowledging his wifdom, his goodnefs, his juftice. in all his dealings towards us; heartily faying with good Eli, It is the Lord, let him do what 1 Sam. iii. feemeth him good; with Hezekiah, Good is the word of a Kings xx. the Lord which thou haft spoken; with David, Behold, 19. here I am; let him do to me as feemeth good to him; with 26. Job, Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and fhall Job ii. 10. we not receive evil? and, The Lord gave, and the Lord Pf. xxxvii. hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord: yea, it 5. lv. 22. were well, if we could, after the heathen philofopher, Epic. all occafions with our hearts fay, ei taúty Osų píλov, Plat.Criton. TaÚTY YEVÉσ Sw. If God will have it fo, fo let it be if we could obferve thofe rules and precepts, which even the Philofophers fo much inculcate; to commit all our affairs

upon

:

b Τὸ ὑπόλοιπον τῇ βία διέξελθε, ὡς Θεοῖς ἐπιτετροφὼς τὰ σεαυτῷ πάντα, &c. Ant. iv. 31. 'Ασπαζόμενος τὰ συμβαίνοντα. Ant. iii. 4, 16. ii. 17. x. 11. xii. 1. Ant. vii. 31. x. 11. Sen. De Or. Sap. 32. Ego fecundum naturam vivo, fi

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8.

2 Sam. xv.

i. 21.

Ench. 38.

τιν ἐπὶ τὴν

βαίνοντα, καὶ

to God, to love and embrace (hug) all events; to follow, and to accompany God; to yield, deliver, and refign ourfelves up to him; (Deo fe præbere, dedere, tradere, &c.) and the like.

Give us this Day our daily Bread.

I SHALL not ftand to criticize upon the hard word here used, tranflated daily; I only fay, that of two fenfes offering themselves, both are probable, and by good authority countenanced; both are proper and suitable to

the matter or nature of the thing: according to one, we "Agrovi- pray for the bread rẽ nóvτos, of the time to come, or of O, TOUT that future life, which it fhall please God to allow us; ὐσίαν τῷ σώ- according to the other, we requeft bread ἐπὶ τὸ εἶναι, ματος δια which is neceffary for our being, and the preservation of uygon our lives; joining both together, (which is more fure and Av. Chryf. fafe,) we pray for a competent provifion toward the tom. v. 187. maintenance of our life hereafter, during our appointed time that for the sense: upon the petition itself we observe,

ταύτην δυνά

1. That after we have rendered our due tribute of praise and respect unto God, we are allowed and directed to request of him good things for ourselves; beginning, as nature prompteth, with the preservation of our beings and lives; whereby we become capable of receiving and enjoying other good things;

2. By doing which we also do imply the fenfe we have of our total dependence upon God; avowing ourselves to fubfift by his care and bounty; disclaiming confequently all confidence in any other means to maintain or fupport us; in any store we have laid up, or estate we pretend to; in any contrivance or industry we can use; in any fuccour of friends or relations; for that, notwithstanding all these, we do need our daily bread to be dealt to us by God, and must continually beg it as a gift from his hands.

totum me illi dedo. Optimum eft Deum, quo auctore cun&a proveniunt fine murmuratione comitari, &c.-hic eft magnus animus, qui fe Deo tradidit Sen. Ep. 37, 54, 71, &c. De Prov, 5.

3. We are by that word, onepov, this day, taught our duty (fignifying withal our performance thereof) of being willing continually to rely upon God; not affecting to be ever so much beforehand, as not to need God's conftant affiftance: we ask not, that God would give us at once what may serve us for ever, and may put us out of any fear to want hereafter; we ask not for that which may fuffice for a long time, for many years, many months, many days; but that God would give us to-day, or rather day by day; (rò xad ¡μépav, as it is expreffed in St. Luke xi. 3 Luke;) that is, that he would continually difpenfe to us what is needful for us: we should not therefore defire to have an estate settled upon us; to live by ourselves, or on our own incomes; to be fet out of God's house, or immediate protection and care; this in itself cannot be, (for God cannot alienate his goods from himself, nor can we fubfift out of his hand,) nor must we defire it should be: it is a part of atheism, or infidelity, of heathenish profanenefs and folly, to defire it, (these things, faith our Lord, do Mat. vi. 32. the Gentiles feek; that is, they are covetous of wealth, and careful for provifions, to live without dependence upon God;) but we must esteem God's providence our fureft eftate, God's bounty our best treasure, God's fatherly care our most certain and most comfortable support; cafting all our care on him, as being affured that Mat. vi. 25. he careth for us; will not leave nor forfake us; will not Heb. xiii. 5. withhold what is neceffary for our comfortable fufte- Phil. iv. 6.

nance.

4. It is here intimated, how fober and moderate our appetites should be, in regard both to the quality and quantity of the things we use: we are directed to ask Tрophν, où sрuphy, as St. Chryfoftom fays, neceffary food, not luxurious plenty or delicacy: it is bread, (the most fimple, homely, and common diet;) that is, fuch accommodations as are neceffary to maintain our lives, and fatisfy our natural defires; not fuperfluities, ferving to please our wanton appetites, or humour our curious fancies; it is not variety, daintiness, elegancy, or splendour, we should affect to enjoy, but be content to have our

1 Pet. v. 7.

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